Templom (szentély)

Leaving Piazza Loggia and walking along Via dei Musei (the former decumannus), you'll soon find yourself in the middle of the ancient Roman town of Brixia. The most remarkable sights include the Capitoline temple at the Forum Romanum and the nearby theatre.

Stretching above modern Amman at an altitude of 850 meters, the Citadel is a must for all tourists visiting Amman. It used to be the enormous Acropolis of ancient Philadelphia, the predecessor of the present city.

Surrounded by 1700m-long walls, this complex was more than just a fortresses above the city, in fact it was a standalone entity within the ancient city. History buffs will say that there are plenty of other, much better preserved ancient fortresses throughout the Middle-East. However this one is still definitely worth to be visited, because it enables visitors to understand how an antique Roman and Byzantine settlement was transformed into an Umayyad city. In other words: this monument is simply a summary of entire Jordanian history.

Large megalithic stone blocks, Hittite lion carvings mixed with elements of Greco-Roman architecture – these are the characteristics of an extraordinary and yet controversial building in Iraq-al Amir (Arak-el-Emir ). Nothing is 100% sure about this building except for one thing – there are simply no similar structures not just in Jordan, but also in the entire Middle-East.

Sagaing is an important religious and monastic center of Myanmar with lots of Buddhist monasteries and a monastic hospital. This city was the capital of the short-lived Sagaing Kingdom (1315–1364), one of the minor kingdoms that thrived after the fall of Bagan. During the Ava period (1364–1555), it belonged to the crown prince or senior princes. Sagaing briefly became the royal capital between 1760 and 1763 in the reign of King Naungdawgyi.

Bagaya Kyaung was entirely built of teak wood during the reign of King Bagyidaw in 1834. Besides being a monastery, it was also used as a palace, as it can be clearly identified by the existence of the tower, a typical secular feature of royal palaces.

Maha Aungmye Bonzan (or Maha Aung Myay Bonzan) is the brick monastery of Queen Nanmadaw Me Nu, built for royal abbots Nyaunggan Sayadaw U Po and U Bok. Thus it is also called as Me Nu Ok Kyaung, literally meaning the brick (ok) monastery (kyaung) of Queen Me Nu. She was the chief queen of King Bagyidaw of Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1819 to 1837.

The gilded stupa of Kuthodaw Pagoda was modeled after Shwezigon Pagoda at Nyaung-U near Bagan. Construction of the building was begun in 1857 by King Mindon, who wanted to leave a great work by merit and thus decided to create the world's largest book around the central stupa.

Most monuments of Bagan don't have a specific name and can only be identified with their unique numbers. Pagoda No. 2100 belongs to these anonymous monuments, nothing is known about its founder or construction date. Again, the stunning panoramic view of North-Bagan especially at sunset from the terrace of the building is the real attraction.

King Anawrahta was a famous king of Bagan (1044-1077) who turned a small principality in Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire. His troops ventured into Lower Burma and occupied the Mon kingdom of Thaton by 1057. Shwesandaw paya was erected just after his victory and became the center of his newly empowered kingdom.

First stupas were only simple mounds of mud or clay to cover relics of Buddha. Later they changed from being funerary monuments to being objects of veneration.

Mon

Earliest inhabitants of Myanmar whose rule once stretched into Thailand. They have fast completely assimilated with the major ethnic group, Bamar in Myanmar, now making only 2% of the population. However their cultural influence, especially Mon architecture influenced Bamars and their heritage still survives in may places throughout the country.

Paya

Generic term, covering either a temple, a shrine or a stupa in Burmese language. Examples include: Dhammayazika, Shwegugyi and Shwesandaw temples in Bagan.